Youth Impact Game Changer: Alejandro Gaytan (United States)

Alejandro Gaytan is a teenage leader who is way ahead of his years. He is an innovator passionate about seeing others succeed. Currently, he is the Head Tutor Teacher for the Department of Mathematics at Independence High School, teaching from rudimentary algebra to basic abstract algebra. Alejandro was named UN Youth Ambassadorial Representative of the 41st District as of 2018, coordinating, externalizing, and mobilizing the United Nation’s network of youth leaders advocating for global progress. Alejandro has held coveted internships at several Silicon Valley companies.

Q & A with Alejandro:

Q: What is the personal story that brought you to this type of work so early in life?

A: Coming from a disadvantaged background, it has been a bit difficult and sometimes frustrating to find opportunities that can help me grow as a person and realize certain unknown passions. Having said that, the work that I’ve done and am doing is meant to help students and the community connect mutual interests of growth.

Q: You have shared that you feel passionate about helping youth realize what is possible from a global perspective…that there are no boundaries. What specific impacts are you hoping to accomplish as the UN Youth Ambassador for your area?

A: I hope to offer a greater global perspective and emphasize the notion that it’s not the destination that matters, rather, more what you do with your journey that makes a difference in the legacy you leave behind. A sense of paying it forward, so to say.

Q:In working with the UN, we know you have a global perspective – what projects have you led that speak to that global mission and what is it you feel is important for youth to know about thinking globally?

A: Hygiene and care packages to girls in Kenya. Volunteering and care packages to orphans in Kern County and Baja California. Sikh temple cancer screenings and physical examinations. Mental health campaigns. We have a marathon planned in the fall to raise funds for UNICEFs malaria vaccination project in Indonesia. Global thinking is the gateway to connecting with others and finding yourself, not only as a member of humanity but as a contributor to the global mission of compassion and care.

Q: You have utilized your network to create conferences and experiential opportunities at Stanford Medical School and Cal Tech. At such a young age, how have you managed to develop a network that will afford you such access? How did you manage to get such coveted internships throughout Silicon Valley at Facebook, Tesla, and Google?

A: My mentor from Silicon Valley, Joshua Mendoza, has guided me on how to communicate with others professionally and maintain that connection. I was a part of a program he founded called D4X that introduced me to these companies.

Q: Where are you wanting to take your work with youth – what new projects or new directions do you see in the next couple of years? And, where do you see yourself in 5 years?

A: I want to pass on my ambition to the next generation so they may carry my work even further at the high school level. I see myself in a university continuing similar projects, trying to make a difference in my community, and sharing the conversation of care and compassion, opening one’s perspective.

Publisher Notes

Welcome to Frontrunners Innovate – Networking Magazine for Global Innovators. From Co-Editor Robin Smith: Among Friedrich Nietzsche’s more indelible (and certainly less pessimistic) observations, the German philosophers once said, “One must still have chaos in oneself in order to give birth to a dancing star.” For all its adversity, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided perhaps the best stage for innovators to set themselves apart in critical ways of helping move our world forward, into the uncharted territory of the “New new.” With this issue, we’ve worked to cover some of those innovators, their offerings, and how each best fits into this new landscape.

It’s been a privilege to put back on the editor’s hat and work with Mary on this issue. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed the pursuit of an interesting profile and the collaboration of working to get it just right for everyone involved. I hope you find the stories here to be of interest — even better if they spark inspiration.

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